Life with a 2 Year Old!

Evie is a busy, independent girl these days. I thought it was hard before but it's getting harder as she develops more opinions. She keeps me on my toes and we have a ball most of the day.

Evie was very concerned about the carpet man at our house this morning. Her toys were missing and mommy was running around moving things out of the way. Our carpet needed major help since it had been almost a year since it was cleaned. Carl and I decided that after the painting was done would be a good time to have it cleaned. I am really impressed. Try Professional Carpet Systems if you live in Nashville. It looks so much better! He told me not to get new carpet until all my kids are 5. Evie asked John if he was a Daddy and then told him she had her own Daddy.

Evie is infatuated with "workers" and talks about them all the time even demanding that I sing songs to her about workers. Those are some funny songs! Our neighborhood recently paved the main road and it has been an ongoing project so Evie has made it her mission to keep an eye on the workers. She says, "Evie's workers work" as we drive by each morning. Oh dear, I would be so embarrassed if she said that to someone in our house.

Evie had school and I ran a few errands. I think my office is finished with the painting part of the project. It needs to dry a few days before I put anything in there but it's coming around. Painting with a belly is a lot more difficult than I imagined it to be and I ended up with paint in my hair multiple times.

Evie was sitting on her teacher's lap when I picked her up just rocking away practically asleep. She loves going to school now and enjoys reading books about school too.We came home for lunch and a little playtime before nap. Evie thought John did a great job on her room. She spun around her room shouting pretty.

After nap, we headed to The Porter's house for playtime and dinner. Evie talked about Jacob and Anna all the way there. Anna and Nana sound pretty similar so it was a pretty easy transition. They gave Baby Boy a precious outfit with a lion on it. I am really getting excited about our baby now that it is getting closer and as him room begins to come together.

Evie was getting fussy before we left and ate not one bite of her delicious dinner. By the time, we got home she had three fits. She wanted to close her own door to the car, swing in the baby swing that Kristin lent us and then broke the diaper genie trying to get her own diaper in there. We had a serious discussion about how Mommy is in charge and that I have to help her do things so she does not get hurt. Bedtime is always a sweet time no matter how the rest of the day went. I love reading books, singing songs and rocking my little girl. It's time for bed so I can grow some patience because it certainly comes in handy while dealing with Evie.

"Evie's Own Self"

My goodness, Evie is full of personality these days. She has become Miss Independent which is normal but hard on the Mama! I hear the following all day: Evie's own self, I do it, I got it, Evie's turn, self and other variations. I love that she is so interested in doing things herself but she wants to do everything from putting herself in her car seat, to pouring her own juice, and even putting the dishwasher tablet in for me. Needless to say, it takes a lot more time and patience to complete even the smallest task.

  We have had a low-key few days. It has been cold and rainy so we have mostly stayed in the house. I have been working on projects and cleaning out closets. Evie has really mastered the art of closet cleaning. She is able to transfer things to the keep, trash and give away piles all by herself with just a bit of direction. Of course, she got bored after a bit so she entertained herself by climbing onto my bed and then jumping down to the stool. She repeated this little game approximately 50 times. Then, she decided to brush her teeth and play in the sink. Water went everywhere because she plugged the drain but left the water on. OOPS! Oh well, that is what towels are for but she was quite concerned that the "water fell." I LOVE to hear her say "fell" because she is so Southern and that makes me so happy! Nap time was a breeze after all of this activity.

    We had a fun afternoon playing in her brother's closet with a flashlight. She loves the dark. Carl even had the idea to place her turtle in there to project stars onto the walls and ceilings. We went through the HUGE bin if clothes from Courtney. Baby Boy is set for at least the first six months of his life and she shared the good stuff. I LOVE hand-me downs! Campbell taught Evie how to make dinosaur sounds so I got lots of renditions of her new skill this afternoon.

We read books and Evie loves to turn the pages herself - imagine that!  She says, "AMEN" at the end of every book and also uses "AMEN" when I ask her to say, "yes ma'am." It seems to be an all-purpose word for her similar to the word "out" that she used to say all day long. We were walking in the parking lot yesterday and Evie was reciting her usual phrase, "cars hit" to me and I told her they would squash her like a pancake. She laughed hysterically and said, "that funny Mommy."  No, Evie you are the funny one and you keep me laughing!

Boys, Sugar and Painting!

Evie was so excited to go to The C's this morning while I went to a doctor appointment. I told her that mommy had to go make sure our baby was okay and that she was going to play with her boys. She skipped right over and did not shed a tear when I left! I was thrilled to see her so excited. Courtney did a great job of showing all the fun they had this morning on her blog. Evie has said, "Boys, house fun" all afternoon so she had a blast. She came home and crashed within moments of hitting her crib.

I crashed too after my glucose test this morning, it was nap time for all of us. That drink made me feel so yucky for the rest of the day although it did not taste nearly as bad. I felt better after a little nap so I put the first coat on our new desk in the closet. It will be so nice when all of our little projects are completed but our list is still growing.

Evie and I straightened up a few things upstairs after nap. She loves to help which makes more work but it keeps her entertained. We took lots of breaks for snacks, puzzles and books. She even watched a swim meet on YouTube. We are not sure why but she is obsessed with pools and swimming. Evie asks everyday to go to the pool! It's a little chilly for the pool right now in Nashville.

Carl and I were reminded how short life can be when he found out that a colleague of his died suddenly at age 37. Pretty crazy and scary since Carl happens to be 37 too. We do not know any details but his family is in our thoughts and prayers. We are all on borrowed time but things like this really remind you of what is really important in life.

Carl played with Evie outside. They had a ball swinging and taking out the trash while I prepared dinner. Evie was not a fan of dinner tonight. Oh well, she can try again tomorrow. Evie asked for a snack after her shower but I told her she had to eat her dinner to get a snack. I think she drank too much this afternoon and was not hungry.

I posted my belly picture on my 25 week post! Hope your week is off to a magnificent start!

Weekend Wrap-up!

It was a yucky weather weekend but it helped us get a few things finished or at least started around the house! Guest room is cleaned out, ceiling is painted in closet, clothes are in the appropriate closets for each kiddo, chair for nursery is bought along with various other projects that are under way in our house.

Friday, we went to Martin's Barbecue for dinner in Nolensville. Christian had sent Carl a list of the best barbecue joints in the area so we decided to try one out. It was delicious and I am not always a barbecue fan. They had homemade french fries and some super baked beans. Evie thought they had good lemonade!

I went to run a few errands after dinner. I bought Baby Boy his first box of diapers. That makes this all seem real to have size 1 diapers in the house again! I met a lady in Target and she was buying the entire store so I am pretty sure that she felt the need to explain her cart to me. She lives 2 hours away from a Target! I cannot imagine!

We had a nice leisurely morning at home on Saturday. Carl had to go in for a work a bit around Evie's nap time and then we headed out to run a few errands. We learned that it is important to select your own steaks at Fresh Market. Carl told them to wrap up two steaks and they chose the biggest ones in the case. Imagine our surprise to see that two steaks were $40. Carl cut them in half when we got home so we will enjoy the other steak in a few weeks.

Not much else happening other than a trip to Home Depot. My third trip in a week - that has to be a record for me.  We watched home videos all afternoon with Evie. She LOVES to see herself on television. It made me really excited about having another baby although I am not really a baby person. Babies are sweet and cute but they do not do anything besides poop, eat and cry. I will cherish the baby stage more this time because I know it goes quickly but I love toddlers. Drama and all - they are so much fun!

    Evie still loves her pacifier and I am not at all interested in taking it away. It works for us and she is going to want it anyway with the arrival of her baby brother in July. However, I think it's going to be easier than I thught to get rid of it. One of James' pacifiers ended up at our house. I tossed it out but Evie thought one she had today was James' so she would not take it.  She said, "no, that James." It was hers just not her particular brand. My hope is that giving her a "sassy" that she does not like will help make the transiiton easier. Evie will use her fingers or even one of her Little People if she decides she needs a pacifier and one is not availalbel. Funny girl!

25 Weeks!

Baby Size:  Baby Boy is 13.5 inches long and weighs about 1.5 pounds. He is the size of a rutabaga.
Total Weight Gain: 14 pounds - I will not be posting this number again because my weight gain is accelerating as baby boy grows.
Maternity Clothes: Still loving my maternity jeans but am ready to get out some spring clothes. I ordered a few shirts from my favorite maternity store, Shade, the other day. They have really great prices plus free shipping.
Gender: It's a BOY! We have part of a name but we are those people who keep it under wraps until the baby arrives. There has to be some type of surprise with the baby plus we prefer not to get every one's opinion on the best name for our baby.
Movement: Baby Boy moves a lot at night just like his sister but not so much during the day. Sometimes he moves so much at night that the entire bed shakes!
Sleep: My sleep is not as good as it was five weeks ago but it's still not bad. I think of everything that I need to do at night instead of sleeping. Sometimes, I take naps but it makes it even more difficult to sleep.
What I Miss: Being able to move gracefully! I am feeling my growing size when preparing food, painting or even trying to maneuver in tight spaces.
Cravings: SALT!  Potato chips are my favorite right now but I tend to love potato chips even when I am not pregnant.
Symptoms: Shortness of breath is still my biggest problem. I may have overdone it a little last week because my first varicose vein popped out and it was painful. I had never had a bulging one and it was not fun. It comes and goes reminding me to slow down a bit!
Best Moment: I feel like we are making a lot of progress on our rooms. Both rooms are painted, Baby Boy bedding has arrived and I ordered a new glider this afternoon. My plan is to get Evie's room complete and then worry about the finishing touches for Baby Boy. We still need a dresser and bookshelf for him. My sweet neighbor Courtney stocked me with clothes which calmed my nerves tremendously! I cannot wait to see my sweet baby in all of these precious clothes. However, I am in no rush for him to be born because he is easier in than out. Although, I may feel differently come June!

Projects, Review and Life!

It has been a busy few days at our house. I am in full-nesting mode trying to prepare for Baby Boy. Not sure, why I decided to attempt so much in one week with my two year along for the ride but I made lots of progress. My guest room is still covered in stuff and my regular household chores have not been done quite yet.

 We decided to turn one of our kitchen closets into an office. A major advantage to living in a house built in the 80's is the closet space. I LOVE all my storage and it was perfectly fine to give up one closet. We are moving Evie into my office, Baby Boy into Evie's room and my computer into it's new space in the kitchen. I found a carpenter and he came to put a few outlets in for me and built a desk in my closet. He was fabulous and super cheap! However, he does not paint so I had to take everything out of the closet, patch the holes from the shelving and paint in a dark closet. It was certainly not my best paint job but it does not even matter now that the desk is in there. Carl is going to paint the ceiling for me. He hates painting too but is so sweet to help me out! I finished this project about 10 on Wednesday and then Thursday morning the painters came along with the carpenter.

  It was a CRAZY day yesterday with painters and a carpenter here but they got it all knocked out in one day! Kristin invited us over for lunch which helped a lot to get out of the house for a bit. Evie tried to nap but it was just too loud! She was a doll and so cooperative until about 4. Sweet thing had a diaper explosion and all of her clothes were sequestered in the room with the painters.  I snuck in to find her some new clothes and we camped out on the couch for a bit. Then, we took our meals to the meal swap - as if I did not have enough to do yesterday - I also prepared 3 pounds of sweet and sassy green beans and five bags of honey pecan chicken for my meal swap group! It was not our best day but Evie's room is now pink and Baby Boy's room is Softer Tan. My house is quiet and Evie is napping! It has been a much better day! I should be painting my new desk since the carpenter does not paint. That just cracked me up! Instead, I am catching up on my blogs, doing a few little things and resting a bit.

We went to The C's house for lunch and playtime today. Evie did not want to leave at all. She told me "no, home" when I told her it was time to go back home. Campbell put himself to bed and Evie was asleep within moments of walking in the door. We had a fun morning!

Several weeks ago, CSN offered me an opportunity to do a review for their company! I jumped at the chance since we are trying to prepare for life with two kids. Evie needed a nightstand since she will be getting a big girl bed in her room at some point in the near future- not to sleep in but as an alternative place for our guests. CSN had lots of choices and I pondered over my decision for days! I finally chose a white nightstand to match her other furniture. I LOVE the CSN website. It's easy to navigate and their customer service is superb. My item was shipped out quickly and arrived super fast! Carl put it together in a little under an hour. It will work but I would not be thrilled if I had purchased this with my own money. The price point made it obvious this was not solid wood but I expected a little more quality. I am very surprised because I have had tremendous luck with CSN in the past but this is not a reflection on CSN because the item was made by New Visions By Lane. Evie will love having two drawers to store all of her treasures in and I love that it was a free piece of furniture. Free is always good! Happy Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

Tumultuous Tuesday

Evie sure gives us a run for her money. Her moods change like the wind. I love how she can be mad as a hornet one second and happy as can be the next moment. In the middle of a fit, I can say something that appeals to her and she immediately perks right up forgetting the urgent problem that existed only moments before.


We had a nice morning at home. Evie discovered that the printer was really fun and kept trying to catch the papers as they flew out the printer. She played in her kitchen and found a little kitty toy. Evie is obsessed with cats but will not be getting one.


We went out to lunch with some friends since it is spring break and all of our kiddos are home with us. Chuy's is our favorite spot. Yummy. It is always a bit chaotic going out to lunch with three kids but we had a fun lunch. Logan is getting a baby brother soon so Evie could get a few tips from him the next time we see them.


Evie decided it would be so much fun to swing her baby doll. It occupied her pretty well until the swing hit her in the face. She likes to be pushed from the back and thought her baby preferred that too. Pushing the baby from the front made much more sense to Evie after she got wacked in the face.


Carl got home in time for a walk around the neighborhood. Evie loved seeing a baby squirrel along the way. I cooked dinner and Carl tried to entertain Evie. Carl told Evie she looked like a pilgrim last night when she tried on her new dress and today he told her the same dress was too revealing! Pretty funny stuff! Our sweet girl is in Mommy mode and wants me for everything. It is going to be interesting around here when Baby Boy arrives on the scene.

Spring is Here!

Evie and I had a glorious day enjoying the sunshine together. We ran a few errands this morning including a hair cut for Evie. She was so good getting her hair done. We even got a discount because her cut was so easy since her hair was not damaged. Not kidding! What 2 year old has damaged hair? I will take any discounts that are available.


Evie is still loving her swing. She had a blast washing the car with me this afternoon. I just love her sweet little personality. She says "beep, beep" to anything in her way. I think we are making real progress with playing more indepently. She sat in her playhouse playing with her dollhouse for the longest time while I read magazines. Now, that's a fun afternoon for us both.

Weekend Wrap-up!

Goodness, weekends are exhausting! We spent Friday relaxing at home. Carl got home early because he drove to Alabama and our house is closer than his office at the end of the day. It was a gorgeous night so we decided to take Evie to eat at Mellow Mushroom in Downtown Franklin. We had a good time even though it was PACKED. I do not mind waiting without Evie but with Evie - that's another story. She did better than me though. Evie loved her pizza and was absolutely perfect during our meal. We went for ice-cream after dinner at Baskin Robbins. Evie had to have pink ice-cream which was strawberry. She was thrilled with her pink spoon too. It was a fun night. Evie has been talking about icecream non-stop!

Evie visiting the chick's last March! She sure has changed.

  Saturday we went to Franklin again so that Evie could see the baby chicks. We did this last year too and she loved it even more this year. I talked Carl into picking a chick up so she could pet it. Evie practically yanked his head off but was so excited to pet a baby chick. We even met another little girl named Evie. After the chicks, we went to the Farmer's Market for doughnuts. We love fresh produce too but it's not too plentiful yet this season in our neck of the woods.

   Campbell and his family invited us over to celebrate his birthday. We had a blast! Evie loves those boys so much and they are so cute together. We had a great time hanging out in the backyard and we enjoyed delicious burgers along with scrumptious cupcakes complete with John Deere decorations. We love the C's!

   I am getting a little anxious that we have done nothing to prepare for Baby Boy and I mean NOTHING! Carl helped me pick the paint this weekend. We decided to go neutral to help me with my bedding choice so now I need to pick Evie's color. It will be a major switcharoo but will be so nice when we have both rooms ready to go! Courtney gave us LOTS of precious little boy clothes which made me so excited to see my sweet little boy. Although, I am wondering how in the world, we are going to manage life with two kiddos. Everyone keeps telling us it will all fall into place!

  Evie spent most of the weekend swinging. Carl pushes her and she squeals with delight! It's so cute to watch although I must say that the rigging of the swing makes me a tad nervous. Even our 8 year old neighbor, said she wondered what "that" was for as she referenced the rope. So far, so good and Evie is as pleased as punch. Evie loves to swing so this should provide countless hours of entertainment. She even ate lunch in her swing.

Packed Paddy's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We have had a good day but have been busier than we have been in a LONG time. I did not sleep at all last night. Let's hope that is not a sign of things to come because I am quite cranky without sleep!

  Evie had MMO and I came home and willed myself to paint the trim in her room while she was not here to get covered in paint or smell the yucky fumes. It was a quick job and I saved us a bunch of money! I treated myself to a pedicure before picking Evie up from school. There's something about pretty feet that just makes me so happy!

 I picked Evie up from school and it's so sweet to see her stop whatever she is doing making a mad dash to get to her Mama! It makes me so happy that she literally jumps over toys and moves people out of her way to get to me because it will not always be like that.  We came home and straightened the house a bit because the Onello's came over for lunch. It was so good to see them and it had been too long since our last visit. Evie and Abby had a blast together although Evie can be a bit bossy. Not sure where she gets it from but I heard her telling Abby - "In tent, NOW!" They put their babies in the hammock, jumped off the recliner, ate cookies and ran around the backyard. Sydney and Victoria were here too but they just blend in and I forget they are even here. After they left, Evie came to me and said, "Nap, next." Sounded like a plan to me so off we went for her nap and I folded a mountain of clothes that I had been ignoring all week.

   I had to wake her up after an hour because it was late and we had a St. Patrick's Day party to go too. Evie does not love being roused from her sleep but the promise of a cupcake at the park perked her right up. She wore her green necklace and was so excited to go see her friends. We had fun but cupcakes, kids and the park created quite the adventure! Evie stays quite close to me but I still struggled with meeting the new people and helping with the cleanup. I am so fortunate that Evie does not run off from me which would make things much more difficult. Evie's little friend Paige who is 5 noticed my growing belly. She asked me if the baby was a boy or a girl. I told her that it was a boy. Paige said, "Well, get ready because two kids is a lot harder than 1 and he is probably going to cry a lot." That made me laugh so hard. Paige has a little brother about Evie's age so she has first hand experience.

    We came home and I headed out for my hair appointment except they had canceled it when I called to change my services. AHHH!!! I almost cried because I was so exhausted and it takes an act of congress to get to a hair appointment these days since they do not open until 11 and they close at 7. Saturday appointments are booked way too far out for my calendar.

   It's been a day but I enjoyed spending the day with my cute little leprechaun.

Frisbee Fun!

Evie and I took our time getting ready this morning before running a few errands. We came home and played outside a little. Evie rode her new "cycle" and kicked the ball a little.

  I had a hard time getting her to settle down for her nap but she finally fell asleep. I woke her up around 4:30 so we could get her to bed early tonight. Carl got home early again. We are trying to enjoy this because his travel schedule will be picking up in the spring. Evie wanted to play with her new Frisbee so we walked to the park. She had a ball throwing her Frisbee and catching it. It was so funny to see her really enjoying herself and using the Frisbee correctly.

   Evie walked most of the way home so we pushed the stroller. Carl grilled delicious burgers for dinner and we played on the hammock. We had not been in the backyard since my parents were here and Evie kept talking about her Nana. She remembered that Nana found an old sock stuck under the tree and played ball with her. Our house had three boys living here before we moved in and occasionally we find little reminders of them such as socks outside, names written in closets and recipes stuck between the drawers in the kitchen. They lived here for 15 years so they had a lot of wonderful memories. Carl just saw Leesa the other day when she was dropping her son off at the neighbors - the one who wrote his name in the closet in Evie's new room. I love all those little things. It makes me feel like this is a real home!